Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 471: Dark Day (10)

Dragon Raja 3

“Humans have already touched the gates of the dragon civilization. The day they step through will be the day of their self-destruction,” Uesugi said quietly. “I’m going to die soon, so I must ask you to protect this world for the sake of my sons.”

“Looks like I’m the one about to die, not you,” Anjou coughed violently, his mouth filling with blood—his lungs were likely ruptured.

“Everyone dies, even royals. I’m not a man of great ambition. I’ve done many wrongs, caused many deaths, and even my own mother hated me. Yet, for 60 years, I never sought redemption, merely living my life in petty survival, hoping God would forgive me for doing a bit of volunteer work in church. But God doesn’t forgive cowards, does he? A man like me is destined for hell.” Uesugi impaled another Death Servitor, pulling out the Daihannya Nagamitsu sword from his bag. The previous blade had become serrated and cracked, clearly having reached its limit.

“Let’s talk about religious doctrine after we get back. If you preach well enough, I might just convert to your faith,” Anjou chuckled weakly.

“You’re the kind of person no denomination would accept. You’ve already fallen, just like Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost. You were once a glorious angel, but your pride and anger towards the world turned you into a vengeful demon. No priest in the world could persuade a demon like you. You fear nothing; even if death means going to hell, you’ll drag the Dragon Kings with you,” Koeru suddenly stopped in his tracks. “But you won’t regret it. You won’t be accepted by God, nor enjoy the peace and joy He grants. As long as you stand, you’ll keep swinging your sword until the last drop of blood is shed. You despise anyone’s pity, and you don’t need God’s love.”

“Father Uesugi, it seems we really are going to die here. Can you use Black Sun one more time? If you can, we might still have a chance,” Anjou said.

In front of them was a deep trench, about ten meters wide, filled with seawater and teeming with Death Servitors. On land, they could fend off waves of attacks, but in the water, they would be as helpless as a bear trapped in the Amazon River, surrounded by piranhas. Beyond the trench was the tower crane, their last chance of escape. Caesar and Chu Zihang were trying to clear a path for them, with Caesar’s final Burning Blood shot ready to carve a temporary safe zone.

“Of course! You haven’t seen the strongest Black Sun yet!” Uesugi roared as he slammed his sword into the ground. A wave of water radiated outward, forcing nearby Death Servitors to retreat.

The Death Servitors quickly regained their footing, their long tails propping them up as they stood tall again, emitting shrill, baby-like cries. They encircled Uesugi and Anjou, sensing that Anjou was on the verge of collapse and preparing for a final, all-out attack.

“Anjou, you are my friend and my brother, but we are destined for different paths. I will go to heaven, while only hell awaits you. But I pray that the Almighty may still love, protect, and forgive you, even in hell,” Uesugi placed his hand on Anjou’s head. In that moment, he truly resembled a priest—clad in black, half-submerged in the dark seawater, with the black sky above him. Yet, it felt as if a divine light radiated from his presence.

“The world ahead will only become more chaotic and tumultuous. Please, help me protect this world where my sons live. Tell them I’m sorry I wasn’t there for their childhood, but I’m glad to know they exist in this world, even if only at the end of my life.” Uesugi paused. “Tell them I love them.”

With that, he suddenly grabbed Anjou by the collar and, with tremendous force, hurled him across the trench. Anjou, weighing 170 pounds, heavier than Uesugi, flew through the air like a bird.

“Damn you!” Anjou roared mid-air.

“Caesar!” Chu Zihang shouted.

Caesar took a step forward, mimicking Uesugi, and threw Chu Zihang toward where Anjou was about to land. But even after his second stage of blood rage, Caesar couldn’t replicate Uesugi’s power. Chu Zihang began to fall short after flying just ten meters, and Anjou barely landed at the edge of the trench, still a good twenty meters away from Chu Zihang. But Chu Zihang, in his third stage of blood rage, charged through waist-deep water, breaking through the Death Servitors with his enhanced strength! Caesar loaded his final Burning Blood round, firing it past Chu Zihang. The explosion vaporized the water and cleared a path.

The brief window of opportunity gave Chu Zihang the critical seconds he needed. He reached Anjou just before the Death Servitors could overwhelm him, grabbing Anjou and taking Greed and Wrath from him.

Anjou struggled to his feet, glancing back toward Uesugi on the other side of the trench. In the instant Uesugi disrupted the water, Anjou caught sight of faint, shimmering lights. Silver-blue, snake-like creatures leapt from the water.

Vipers! They had been surrounded by the ghostly dragon vipers! Anjou hadn’t noticed the small, deadly creatures hiding in the water, but Uesugi clearly had, which was why he had carried Anjou on his shoulder.

Uesugi reached into the water and pulled out one of the dragon vipers. Just moments before, the silver-blue creature had burrowed into his muscles, thrashing to sever a tendon. But Uesugi, in his draconic state, was too resilient—even the vipers struggled to break through his toughened body.

In his dragon-blood state, Koeru was almost indistinguishable from a pureblooded dragon.

Even as Uesugi held the viper in his grip, the creature bit down ferociously, trying to tear through his hand and escape. Uesugi calmly squeezed, crushing its ribcage, then tossed it back into the water. In the dark, inky sea, tiny points of light surrounded him—a beautiful, yet deadly sight. They had come for Anjou’s blood, as enticing to the vipers as it was to the Death Servitors. The dragon vipers hadn’t attacked earlier only because the main swarm hadn’t arrived yet. Uesugi turned to gaze at the sea; though the sky was pitch black, the water seemed to flow with a galaxy of light, breathtakingly beautiful, yet suffocating.

Uesugi opened his travel bag and began pulling out more ancient swords, stabbing them into the ground in front of him. The green-bladed ancient swords formed a bristling hedge of steel. The seawater split against the blades, with only the hilts visible above the surface. He switched Daihannya Nagamitsu to his left hand and drew another sword with his right, standing with both blades submerged, staring at the approaching galaxy. The silver-blue fish leapt from the water as hordes of Death Servitors followed, moving along the edge of that silver river.

“I wasn’t lying—you’ve seen my medical report. I should’ve been dead long ago,” Uesugi said, his back to Anjou. “Dying like this actually gives my life some meaning. Maybe now God will accept my soul.”

“Come back! Don’t you want to see your sons in person?” Anjou shouted.

“I do want to see them. I’m so glad to know they exist in this world.” Koeru spread his two swords, tracing a flawless circle in the air.

“Anjou, remember our agreement—to protect this world, the one where my sons live!” Uesugi said softly. “Now, watch closely—the strongest Black Sun!”

He drew a black sun in the air!

The gently flowing galaxy suddenly surged forward, with Death Servitors rising and falling in its current. Silver waves rolled, splashing light points everywhere. The air filled with the deafening sound of grinding teeth—thousands upon thousands of ghostly dragon vipers gathering. Uesugi stood like an immovable rock in the face of the raging tides. The Black Sun pulled hundreds of tons of seawater toward him, transforming it into a rainstorm behind him. His eyes were closed, serene as a saint or a Buddha surrounded by a halo.

Though ten million stand before me, I will press on.

The massive galaxy crashed into Koeru head-on. His twin swords spun like a windmill, executing the Niten Ichi-ryū, Second Heaven technique that Anjou had used earlier. His blades slashed through the water, sending shimmering silver-blue droplets skyward. The blood of the ghostly vipers was also silver-blue, turning his swords into spinning wheels of blue light. His swords were unimaginably fast, and his sheer dominance turned the mass of ghostly vipers into nothing but pieces. Even the Death Servitors moving with them were like meat thrown into a grinder. The vipers’ iron-crushing teeth were useless against Uesugi—they couldn’t get close enough. And even if they bypassed his blades, they ignited upon touching the Black Sun, burning to ash within moments.

He was slicing through the sea itself! The strongest hybrid in existence, Koeru, could clear away everything before him with sheer force. The incoming water was immediately drawn away and evaporated by the Black Sun. In the space around his spinning blades, there was no water—everything entering that circle turned to vapor or dust. The dragon vipers’ tiny scales dissolved into silver-blue mist that surrounded him. Whenever one of his blades broke, he casually replaced it with another. His swords grew fewer, but the mighty river of enemies was nearing its end.

“My God! He’s doing it! He’s cutting his way through!” Caesar exclaimed.

At first, Caesar had thought Uesugi was doomed, but he was watching him carve a path through the lethal galaxy! Uesugi started with sheer force, but as he progressed, his movements became smoother, his strikes lighter, as if he were a carefree child playing under the clear sky, swinging his arms naturally in harmony with the wind. He was no longer bound by the Niten Ichi-ryū style; other ancient techniques flowed naturally from him—the “Reversal Blade” of the Mizoguchi-ha Itto-ryu, the “Mind’s Eye Strike” of the Shinto Munen-ryu, the “No Sword” of the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, and the “Lion’s Manifestation” of the Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryu. The Yamata no Orochi had invited all of Japan’s greatest sword masters to train him, trying to mold him into a perfect Japanese warrior. And now, for the first time since mastering them, he freely and instinctively wielded every art he had ever learned.

Koeru laughed loudly, his voice drowning out the roaring waves. The so-called final technique of the Japanese sword—attaining enlightenment through the sword.